<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Samples by General_Zargon</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23983597">Samples</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/General_Zargon/pseuds/General_Zargon'>General_Zargon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:48:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,801</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23983597</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/General_Zargon/pseuds/General_Zargon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The first chapters of various original ideas I've been mulling over. Each chapter is a different story, and chapter titles are the story titles.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. My Life as a Cultivating Slug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>Hello? Is anyone there? Where is this?</em>"</p><p>When Qi Ling woke up she knew something was wrong, so she tried calling out. Tried being the keyword, as even though she felt her mouth moving no sound came out.</p><p>Everything felt off, her body feeling strangely loose and wobbly and her brain telling her that her limbs weren't where they should be. Strangely enough, though the air felt incredibly cold on the inside of her mouth, she didn't feel any chill on her skin. Attempting to take a sniff through her nose ended in failure - it felt like it was totally clogged, but somehow she still smelled stone? And cold?</p><p>Confused, she tried to open her eyes to see where she was. It was only after she blinked that she realized her eyes had been open the entire time. It was just...very dark. There wasn't a sliver of light to be found, and she felt fear begin welling up inside her. How could it possibly be this dark??</p><p>Qi Ling was just about to turn her head to look around when she felt her eyes do something strange; though her view didn't change, it was like her eyes turned to look in two different directions. It took a moment for the feeling to go away, but she was still nonplussed when her eyes went back to normal. Best not to try that again, she decided.</p><p>Trying to move her arms and legs just resulted in a strange jiggly feeling, but in doing so she became aware of the hard surface she was laying on. It was firm and unyielding, not like a bed at all, so she wasn't in the hospital.</p><p>A half-American, half-Chinese, Qi Ling had recently moved to X City for work and seized the chance to visit relatives who lived in the nearby Q village. She recalled buying a ticket and boarding the bus, but the memory of what happened afterwards was completely blank.</p><p>Her first thought was an accident, but she had already ruled out the possibility of being in the hospital; not only was she laying on something too hard to be a bed or gurney, no hospital would ever be so dark, not even in a horror movie. And now that she thought about it, the way she'd woken up was strange. It was like a switch had been flipped; one minute there was nothing and the next she was completely aware.</p><p>While she was thinking of things that were off, such as the weird feeling when she tried to look around, her clogged but still somehow working nose, the cold she felt when she opened her mouth but didn't feel on her skin etc, it hit her that she'd forgotten one crucial sense: hearing. Since she'd woken up, she hadn't heard anything. Not her voice when she called out earlier, not her own breathing, not a whisper of wind, <em>nothing</em>.</p><p>The absence of sound was disquieting, causing a sliver of fear to shoot through her as she tried to discover what was going on. She tried once more to move an arm, a leg, a toe, a finger, anything, but her efforts merely resulted in more of that wobbly feeling from earlier. It was like poking a blob of Jello, except she was the gelatin. She did manage to press closer to the hard surface beneath her, testing and tentatively identifying it as some kind of stone. So, she couldn't see, hear or move and she was laying on a stone floor, she mentally checked off the list of things she knew.</p><p>Opening her mouth and trying to take a deep breath through her nose at the same time, she once more tasted cold, but also something else. An odd taste lingered in the back of her throat, tingly like static but crisp like the wind from a frozen lake...</p><p>What was it?</p><p>In addition to the smell of chilled stone, she could now make out something else. Somehow, the new smell was <em>darker</em> than the first ones she'd caught a whiff of. Darker, with a faint tinge of copper...she shivered, instinctively attempting to look around despite knowing that she wouldn't see anything. Everything around her was darkness- <em>wait</em>, over there! Was that a glint of light?!</p><p>Ecstatic, she strained her eyes, hoping that she wasn't simply imagining things.</p><p>There it was again!</p><p>Squirming, she attempted to drag herself over to the lone point of light she could see, flopping gracelessly like a fish in a boat but making slow progress towards her goal. When she finally got to it what felt like an eternity later, she saw...a rock. A faintly glowing rock that glowed with an icy pure light, giving off a soft white radiance that illuminated the stone several inches around it, but still a rock.</p><p><em>Fuck</em>! All that effort for a <em>rock</em>?! Attempting to bang her head against the ground, Qi Ling managed to misjudge the distance between her head and the rock. Her head went down, and then rock went into her still open mouth. On reflex she swallowed it. She immediately felt like she swallowed an ice cube and experienced the worst brain freeze of her life at the same time.</p><p>Cue more graceless flopping. After an unknown amount of time, the freezing pain went away. What followed was more silent screaming along with a deluge of both English and Chinese curses.</p><p>For all that the rock itself had gone down surprisingly easy, that didn't change the fact that she had <em>just swallowed a rock</em>.</p><p>[Divine Ice Spirit Stone acquired]</p><p>"<em>What?!</em>"</p><p>Qi Ling was a Chinese-American with access to the Internet. She <em>knew </em>what that meant!</p><p>Cursing and flailing and flopping more wildly than before, she freely vented her feelings: she might enjoy reading the genre but that didn't mean she wanted to experience a transmigration story for herself!</p><p>Her thrashing only caused her to move a few inches, she judged when she calmed down, and what was up with that? Why couldn't she feel her arms and legs? Taking a deep breath through her mouth and once more tasting the bitter cold in the air, she wished she hadn't swallowed the rock because now her only source of light was gone. Carefully flexing her stomach muscles, she paused when what felt like her entire body rippled.</p><p>Come to think of it, despite all her wriggling and crawling when she made her way over to the rock, her belly wasn't sore at all.</p><p>Had, had she been reincarnated as something other than a human?</p><p>As if in answer to her question, more information appeared in her mind, only this time what it told her was, shall we say, less than welcome.</p><p>[<em>Common Slug</em></p><p>
  <em>Grade N/A</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cultivation Level: N/A</em>
</p><p><em>Ewwww! So gross! A worthless pest so weak it can be killed by stepping on it.</em>]</p><p>The Qi Ling who was reincarnated as a slug: "...."</p><p>Fuck your mother!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Eternal Darkness Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[Welcome to the Eternal Darkness Game.]</p><p>That was it. One sentence appeared in Zhao Cheng's mind when he opened his eyes to find himself standing on a dirt road surrounded on all sides by dense trees, then nothing. No other information, just silence as his mind reeled and he tried to figure out was going on.</p><p>His surroundings were like something from a horror movie, a deserted road bracketed by thick-trunked trees and dense underbrush. The light that illuminated the dirt path unable to penetrate the area off the trail, the deep shadows warning him against stepping off the path. He shuddered, feeling like a hungry beast was watching him the longer he stared at the dark areas, and he hurriedly tore his eyes away, looking down and gaping in shock when he saw that his clothes had been changed.</p><p>Gone were his comfortable sweater, jeans and sneakers, and in their place was an outfit like something from a xianxia novel. It looked like something a novice just setting out on the path of cultivation at the start of the book might wear. The cloth was simple and unadorned and, he noticed as he shifted, fit him perfectly.</p><p>Zhao Cheng considered himself to be pretty average in terms of looks; not tall but not terribly short. He had a healthy physique, trim but with a certain softness around his waist that showed he ate well. He was blessed with clear skin and possessed soft black hair that he kept cut short. His eyes were a warm brown color.</p><p>The outfit should have made him feel ridiculous, like he was wearing some sort of costume, but instead it was surprisingly comfortable.</p><p>A fan of transmigration and horror novels, Zhao Cheng had no trouble adjusting his mental state, already having a sneaking suspicion what happened. Finding himself in a strange place with no idea how he'd gotten there, the sentence that had appeared in his mind, the strange clothes - it all fit. Of course, just because he managed to piece that together didn't make it easier to accept. His heart was in turmoil as he attempted to let the apparent situation sink in.</p><p>Since no other information appeared after that curt welcome, he was a bit lost as to what to do. The last thing he remembered was sitting down to watch a movie and then - nothing. He 'woke up' standing in the middle of a well-packed dirt path, dressed in xianxia-style clothing, holding...just then, he noticed he was holding something. It was a bundle of parchment bound into a book, no cover or title or anything. He flipped through it, only to find that it was blank. Frowning, he decided to keep it, something telling him that it must be important if it was included in his clothing change.</p><p>Looking at the path behind him, he saw that it extended a few yards and then abruptly turned dark and shadowed like the area off the trail. Not going that way then, he thought, turning back to face the front and eyeing the simple, easily traveled path, the proverbial yellow brick road.</p><p>Unsure, he wondered aloud, "what happens if I don't move...?" Not that he was really going to stay where he was, but it was something to think about just because he didn't think that anyone had ever tried it-</p><p>Overhead, dark clouds formed and rumbled a warning, flashes of lightning visible through the sparse gaps in the branches above him.</p><p>Zhao Cheng stiffened, looking up with a face full of trepidation.</p><p>
  <em>Crack!</em>
</p><p>A bolt of lightning came down, striking something off the path and making up his mind for him.</p><p>The message was clear: stop stalling.</p><p>"Okay, okay, I'm going!" He yelped, breaking into a run and sprinting up the trail.</p><hr/><p>Eventually his pace slowed as the brief flash of terror until he was strolling casually down the path, looking around with interest. The positions and appearances of the trees and underbrush changed, so he was making progress and hadn't encountered a ghost hitting a wall.</p><p>At one point he stopped for a rest and examined a flowering shrub, one vine extended onto the path and spotted with red and gold flowers. Something about that seemed significant and, well, the flowers <em>were</em> pretty, so he shrugged and picked some, tucking them in one of his sleeves next to the book that he'd folded up and put there.</p><p>Zhao Cheng didn't know how long he walked, but some time later he noticed the path getting wider. Heart beating faster, he subconsciously sped up. Up ahead he saw things getting brighter, the trees parting to let in more light. The path opened up into a clearing, and his breath caught.</p><p>In the middle of the clearing was a massive temple. At first glance it seemed powerful and imposing, but a second look revealed the peeling paint, the weeds growing through the cracks in the tiles and the cobwebs in the corners. The sprawling grounds were encircled by a large wall that had once been painted red but was now a faded gray. Even the characters in the temple's name written above the gate were so faded as to be illegible. The gate itself gave off an intimidating aura, as if it was warning any who dared to approach at their own risk.</p><p>In front of the gate he saw a group of fifteen people milling about, several of them gesturing and shouting in anger.</p><p>As he got closer, he was able to hear some of the argument, which was mainly one person accusing another of being responsible for bringing them here and demanding to be let go. The main accuser seemed to be a young man with wild black hair and sword eyebrows who gave the impression of a barely leashed barking dog. The one opposite him, a calm and collected man in his twenties, seemed more like a serene crane in comparison.</p><p>The group was divided evenly between genders; eight girls and eight boys if he counted himself. All of them, even the girls, were wearing the same kind of clothes that he was.</p><p>Zhao Cheng wandered over to a girl on the fringes of the group and asked, "what is going on?" The young girl jumped, which made him smile apologetically, but nonetheless answered.</p><p>It was plain to see that her psychological state was very strong. Despite finding herself in an unknown place, surrounded by strangers, aside from a pale face she showed no signs of nervousness. Her explanation was short and succinct; she found herself standing on a dirt path, the way back cloaked in menacing shadows, and after following the path she found herself standing in front of the rundown temple. The time it took varied, but gradually more and more people arrived until the group was as he saw now.</p><p>Hopelessly muddled, they milled about in confusion until the calm man began asking what everyone remembered. Thinking that his inquiries meant he had something to do with how they had all ended up there, the wild-looking man picked a fight.</p><p>"My name is Xiao Mei," she said, bowing politely, "please call me Meimei."</p><p>"Ah, my name is Zhao Cheng, feel free to call me Cheng Ge," he bowed back.</p><p>As they talked, the yelling began to taper off, the wild-looking man panting for breath. Just seconds after an uneasy silence descended, a loud rumble split the air. The group watched as the large gate slowly creaked open, disturbing the long-settled dust.</p><p>[Players prepare yourselves, the novice task is about to begin.</p><p>Survive four days in the temple to pass.]</p><p>On that ominous note, Zhao Cheng breathed deeply. On a hunch he pulled out the book that he'd almost forgotten about, hearing Meimei's noise of surprise as he turned to the first that, he saw, was no longer blank.</p><p>[Once the site of a prominent cultivation sect, everyone vanished seemingly overnight, leaving the temple abandoned. All those in the area assumed the sect had simply moved to a land more suited to cultivation...but is that the truth? A passing hunter claimed to hear unearthly howls and horrific screams the night before they all went missing, but no one has ever been brave enough to enter and investigate. What really happened here? As novices, it is your task to discover the truth or, failing that, survive.]</p><p>Of course, he inwardly complained, sighing and closing the book. "If web novels have taught me anything, it is that nothing will be accomplished by standing here, and might even hasten our deaths," he told Meimei, who paled but nodded, following behind him as he entered the outer courtyard of the temple. She had read the same description in her own book and had no desire to wander around on her own, even during the day.</p><p>Seeing the two people going through the gate, even the unwilling could only gnash their teeth in anger and follow.</p><p>
  <em>Bang!</em>
</p><p>Once the last person's foot crossed the threshold, the gate swung closed, sealing them inside.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Reborn as a Demonic Beast</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Deep inside a wild and verdant forest, sheltered by the roots of a large tree, was an egg. About the size of a football, the egg was a bright golden orange color and propped up against the trunk of the tree. The sunlight filtering through the trees left dappled shadows across it and the ground, making the shell appear to be a precious gemstone. Slowly the egg began to rock back and forth, the creature inside beginning to move around, and gradually the gentle rocking changed into frantic shaking.</p><p>Muffled taps could be heard from inside the egg, a sharp <em>crack </em>sounding as a thin line appeared on the sunset-colored shell, more lines spiderwebbing across it as the shaking continued. The cracks grew longer the more the one inside struggled, spreading until they encompassed the entire surface of the egg. As the occupant fought to break free of the shell, the sound of rustling leaves sounded like murmurs of anticipation.</p><p>Swaying against the trunk and roots of the tree, with one final heave, part of the shell went flying. Energized by the success, the rest of the egg quickly followed suit as first one paw, then another pushed through the shell. Sitting among the scattered shards was a kitten.</p><p>The freshly hatched kitten looked very confused, staring around in bewilderment. Why was everything so big? The trees were as big as mountains! Why was he in a forest in the first place? Last he remembered, he was in a city!</p><p>"Mrowr-?" <em>Where am I?</em></p><p>Freezing at the strange sound that just emerged from his throat, the kitten's eyes widened. Feeling a sense of impending doom, he hesitantly looked down, his eyes landing on two small, furry paws and the feeling might as well have been a physical weight. Paws? Check. Fur? Check. Feeling from limbs he was sure he hadn't had before? Ears swiveling on top of his head and his tail twitching behind him, <em>definitely</em> check...</p><p>Despite wanting to stay in denial for awhile longer, he had to face facts, and he determinedly staggered up onto all four paws. After a few steps, he looked around, after some time concluding that the area was actually the best possible place he could have hatched. The towering trees provided plenty of shelter, he saw several berry bushes scattered around though he didn't recognize the berries themselves, and there was water in easy reach. A small stream ran through the forest and fed several pools of water, one of which happened to be only a few yards away.</p><p>He clumsily made his way over and peered in, wanting to get it over with. He was greeted by the sight of what was unmistakably a cat; bright orange eyes, whiskers, downy orange kitten-fluff that hinted at an impressively thick adult coat, plumed tail, the whole package. It was just confirming what he already knew, but being proved right sucked.</p><p>Still, something seemed off, he inwardly frowned, new whiskers twitching in the cat equivalent. He'd seen the shards of eggshell scattered around. He was sure cats didn't lay eggs, but he was clearly a cat that had hatched from an egg. Kittens were also born with their eyes closed, but he could see better than he had in his last life (because what else could have happened? He was a cat now and he distinctly remembered not being one before he hatched). He'd read plenty of manga and web novels in his previous life and he knew when something wasn't right; was he even in the same world?</p><p>[Introductory Quest: <em>One Small Step</em></p><p>Objective: You've just been born; learn to move around and explore your surroundings, get used to your senses and see what you can discover!</p><p>Reward: 3000 points</p><p>Penalty: None]</p><p>
  <em>Hiss-!</em>
</p><p>The way his fur stood on end felt weird, but considering the situation he thought it was justified. He stared in shock at the window that appeared in front of him. That answered his previous question, he thought, and it took several tries before he made it back to his feet. He didn't know what the points were for, but he was going on the assumption that more was better in this case. He didn't know what qualified as completing the mission, but seeing as he needed to look around anyway...nodding to himself, he set off.</p><p>Deciphering all the information his enhanced senses and whiskers picked up on was tough; the world was so much more vibrant than it was before! It was like a veil of fog had been lifted from his eyes. He looked around in wonder, curiously sniffing at the grass and trees and the water in the stream (which after some trial and error he figured out how to drink). Walking on all fours took some getting used to, but after the initial strangeness it was actually fun.</p><p>Something he found strange was that some things seemed to be <em>glowing</em>, sometimes brightly and other times giving off the softest shimmer that he only saw because he was looking so intently. He trotted curiously over to an object that held a slight glitter. It was a mushroom, he saw, one with a pale stalk and a tall, conical cap the color of fall foliage that gave off a sweet scent. He barely finished looking at it when a screen appeared in front of him, causing his fur to stand on end in surprise.</p><p>[<em>Autumn Leaf Cap </em>has been found!]</p><p>[Name: Autumn Leaf Cap</p><p>Spiritual Plant</p><p>Attribute: Earth</p><p>Notes: a mushroom that has absorbed a small amount of earth Qi.]</p><p>That was practically useless! He let out a loud yowl of complaint. Going around to the other sparkling objects, he found that they were all plants with the earth attribute. Given that he was in a forest, that wasn't too surprising. The ones with a weak to moderate glow were more or less the same, but he happened upon something interesting when he examined the ones that were outright shining. The shining ones were 'One Star Spiritual Plants', which he guessed meant they were somehow better than the ones with weaker glows?</p><p>He had no idea, but he noted the difference just in case.</p><p>After some time spent exploring, he heard a <em>ding</em>!</p><p>[Introductory Quest complete</p><p>3000 points awarded</p><p>After getting your bearings and wandering around, you discovered the existence of spiritual plants: 800 bonus points awarded!]</p><p>Well, that was something, he thought, ears pinned back as the window vanished. He still didn't know what the points were for, but at least he had some.</p><p>
  <em>Growl~</em>
</p><p>Flinching at the low grumble, it took a second before he realized it was coming from his stomach. Then he recognized the ache in his abdomen and it hit him that he was hungry. No sooner had that registered then another window appeared.</p><p>[Introductory Quest: <em>You Are What You Eat</em></p><p>Objective: You've taken your first steps and used a lot of energy exploring the world around you, now it's time to find some food!</p><p>Reward: 500 points</p><p>Penalty: Hunger]</p><p>...It wasn't anything he hadn't already been planning on doing, but now he kind of didn't want to, he grumbled.</p><p>Flicking his ears with a huff, he set off to find something to eat.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Striving to Create The Strongest Ghost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Bam!</em>
</p><p>Bursting through door into the lobby of the dark, dilapidated hotel, Qin Jiu's gaze darted around, taking in the room before zeroing in on the reception desk. Though covered in dust and old bloodstains, it was solidly built and in good condition. Making a beeline over to it, he gave it perfunctory shove to test its weight before going around and ducking behind it.</p><p>Pulling his arms and legs into the space beneath the desk, the twenty-two year-old struggled to calm his racing heart. Strands of dark hair clung to his face, framing dark eyes that were blown wide with fear and adrenaline. Each breath brought with it the sickly sweet smell of decay, but he was gradually able to relax as the seconds ticked by. Cold sweat trickled down his back, but compared to fodder who died in the first few minutes wasn't he already doing well to have survived over an hour?</p><p>Wasn't this something that only happened in stories, he inwardly complained. Suddenly finding himself standing in front of an obviously haunted building with a group of strangers had been a shock, and not just for him. Some in the group had started to panic, others lashed out while more burst into tears. Confusion reigned, but luckily there were several experienced players among the group that swiftly restored order and explained things.</p><p>The Limitless Horror Game.</p><p>Just the name alone was enough to send shivers down a dozen spines. The rules themselves were simple, basically coming down to:</p><p>Complete tasks to earn rewards.</p><p>Each world in the games was different and had different death conditions.</p><p>Players weren't allowed to harm each other directly.</p><p>It was about what Qin Jiu had expected, right down to the part about completing tasks to gain rewards. What kind of reward, the veteran players didn't say, but they <em>did</em> say that if you died in the game, you died for real.</p><p>You could have heard a pin drop after <em>that</em> announcement. More than a few faces paled, looking frightened. Shortly afterwards, the apparent safety time ended and the door to the hotel creamed open, the veterans immediately pulling out peachwood swords, talismans and other objects before they entered, leaving the newcomers to follow after them in a daze.</p><p>The initial onslaught of screams that sounded almost immediately after the group split up to search for clues had long since faded, leaving behind an unnerving silence.</p><p>The lobby was like that of any other Western-style hotel, the wallpaper stained and peeling. The wood floor, original color long since faded to a dull gray, was stained dark in large spots. Pots full of long-dried dirt were placed in each corner of the rectangular room, the reception desk placed at the back of the room across from the door.</p><p>Qin Jiu had initially joined with several others to search various rooms, but it hadn't been long before they encountered a ghost and were separated. Gu-ge and Ling-jie, the two accompanying him had run in one direction while he had gotten turned around and went in another.</p><p>The young adult sighed, brushing back sweat-dampened hair and exposing a young and attractive face, full lips and upturned eyes giving off an honest and trustworthy aura. He had often been called a white lotus by acquaintances, much to his embarrassment. He was of average height, which was the only reason he was able to squeeze into the space under the desk, though it was still a tight fit. One hand clutched the only weapon he had been able to find: a broken chair leg.</p><p>[Cursed Chair Leg</p><p>Quality: Poor</p><p>Description: Part of a chair that absorbed cursed energy after sitting in a haunted hotel for many years. Can be used to hit ghosts and other spirits.]</p><p>The box of text that appeared after he looked at the chunk of wood helpfully informed him. Because that was apparently a thing that happened now.</p><p>Still, it provided a measure of protection that he was grateful for.</p><p>You see, Qin Jiu had a secret: he scared easily. He hid it well, but he couldn't even bear to watch the lowest grade horror movie with the lights on, which was why suddenly finding himself in some kind of horror/survival game had him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.</p><p>Gradually, his racing heart slowed and he was able to think rationally. One thing that stuck out at him was that even while searching for clues, no one had seemed to know why. What task were they supposed to complete? The veterans hadn't mentioned anything on the subject beyond 'complete tasks', which was suspicious in and of itself. There hadn't been some mysterious voice or floating text after he had entered the hotel and he guessed it was the same for the others.</p><p>Was the goal simply surviving? If that were the case, why not just say that? Why the lack of information?</p><p>Frowning, he tapped the fingers of the hand not holding the chair leg on his knee, mulling over the problem.</p><p>"Hee hee~ I found you~"</p><p>Barely had the childish voice registered than an upside-down face peered over the desk into his hiding spot. Acting on instinct, he swung the chunk of wood in his hand.</p><p>
  <em>Whack! Thump!</em>
</p><p>Blinking at the little girl cradling her head and crying and seeing her tattered, old-fashioned dress, abnormally pale skin and blue lips along with her reddened eyes, his mind went blank.</p><p>Was this...supposed to be a ghost...?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Those of you who read some of my other stories might have noticed a change in style here, but that's mostly because I got into web novels during quarantine and decided to try combining that style with mine. Not sure how well it turned out, but I tried.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>